What are the Odds? - My Advice on Betting on the Guardians and the XFL

By Allen Austin

As legal sports gambling sweeps whatever states it's allowed in, I couldn't help but wonder what the early odds are for my newly beloved New York Guardians to be the first ever (well, second ever, technically) XFL champions.

Upon opening a sports gambling app, something that is way too convenient for people to drop a LOT of cash on, I saw the Guardians are sitting as the second favorites to take home the league's greatest prize, at +400 odds. They are second to only the Dallas Renegades, who are at +350. The bottom of the barrel, you wonder? Why, of course it's the Seattle Dragons. I kid, by saying of course, because no one REALLY knows how this second inaugural season is going to pan out. Having said that, I wanted to examine just what placed the Guardians towards the top.

After seeing their odds to win the title, it struck me as odd that in week one of the season, they are a 2.5 point underdog at home vs the Tampa Vipors, who had +450 odds. Now, that +450 is not too far behind +400, but why is the team with the better odds, at home, considered the underdog? Well upon further evaluation, it led me down a path to realize something. Different odds makers have put together different odds. Caesars has the Vipors as the best team in the league, with the highest over/under for wins in a season at 7.5.

WHO ARE WE TO BELIEVE?!?!

Here's what I concluded...don't bet! Don't bet on something all the "experts" truly know nothing about yet. Right? That makes sense. I think? There are several new rule changes in the XFL, and besides scrimmages, do we really know how teams will react, adapt and execute the strategies necessary? On paper some of these players on these rosters have name recognition, but does that guarantee they will show up and perform each and every week? Who has team chemistry? WE DON'T REALLLLY KNOW YET. By week five, we will have a better idea on these teams, and who knows, the Vipors may be poisoned, and the Dragons may be pulling a full Khalisi from Game of Thrones and burning down the competition.

That makes me think, maybe letting three, four or even five weeks go by before making an XFL wager isn't such a bad idea. That sounds as smart, as gambling money on a sporting event that's truly unpredictable, can sound.

So yes, as a Guardians fan, I hope that in four or five weeks, they are the most solid choice for a risk, but let's be honest, it could be a Viper, a Dragon or even a Battlehawk that presents your best choice at making money. Give it time, don't throw your money away just yet.